Athletics

Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association announces major changes

The Midwest Collegiate Hockey
Association continues to change the face of hockey in the West and
today adds another chapter to the story that the league continues
to write.

Dr. G. Steven Larson, commissioner
of the league, has announced today a new era for the conference,
complete with a new name and representation of both women's and
men's teams under one association.

The MCHA has continued to expand,
announcing last summer that both St. Norbert College and The
College of St. Scholastica will be joining the league for the
2013-14 campaign. That new era will embark with a new league name,
as the MCHA will officially be moving forward as the "Northern
Collegiate Hockey Association".

"We are very pleased to announce
these changes as we are moving into the transitional phases of our
women's and men's conferences," Larson said. "It was very important
for us to respect and recognize the traditions of both associations
while simultaneously moving forward with a new perspective to
reflect the changes that have taken place. Needless to say, this is
a very exciting period of progression for member institutions and
our hockey programs."

As part of the league transition,
the women's teams from the current NCHA will now be under the same
conference umbrella with the men's, with each side having its own
administrative structure, constitution and bylaws.

"Moving the eight current MCHA
men's programs forward as the NCHA brings together our men and
women under one umbrella," Adrian president & chair of the
MCHA/NCHA president's council Jeff Docking said. "We can now work
on promoting growth on both fronts, while keeping 30-plus years of
combined championship tradition alive."

The original Northern Collegiate
Hockey Association dates back to 1980 and includes a lengthy
history that consists of 12 NCAA National Championships won by six
different members.

There will be plenty of history to
merge when this new era begins, one that most notably comes into
play when you talk about the student-athletes goal of winning a
championship.

On the men's side, the NCHA
tournament champion will continue to play for the "Harris Cup",
named after MSOE Director of Athletics Dan Harris, who served as
the first president of the MCHA and helped get the league up and
running to become what it is today.

The regular-season champion will
now receive the "Peters Cup", named after Bob Peters, the long-time
Bemidji State coach. Peters won 728 games and 13 national
championships with the Beavers, including two NCAA titles as an
early member of the NCHA back in 1984 and 1986. The Peters Cup is
an NCHA tradition, as it had been handed out to the NCHA playoff
championship winner since 1998.

On the women's side, the NCHA
tournament champion will now play for the "Slaats Cup", named in
honor of Lake Forest College Director of Athletics Jackie Slaats,
in recognition of her efforts and dedication in pioneering the
formation of the Women's NCHA.

The regular-season champion will
now receive the "Kronschnabel Cup", named after Bill Kronschnabel,
the commissioner of the former Northern Collegiate Hockey
Association since 2002. He served as the NCHA Supervisor of
Officials from 1998 to 2005 and also played a role in the former
MCHA as its Supervisor of Officials in its early stages.

"We felt it was very important to
honor and recognize the individuals who were so important in
pioneering and fostering the development of the MCHA and NCHA,"
Larson said. "Their leadership and vision have been instrumental in
the success of both associations."

The MCHA dates back to the 1998-99
season and has taken great strides in the past 15 years to rise to
the level that is has achieved. With the former NCHA essentially
dissolving this offseason, the MCHA wanted to take a piece of the
history and prestige of the conference it has become with its new
name.

The NCHA women's conference was
formed in 2000 and will play its 14th season starting next fall.
The conference has sent 13 teams to the NCAA tournament over the
past 11 years, including five to the semifinal round. It will be
reducing its membership from 11 to seven institutions this
offseason and change its leadership.

"I am really excited about the
coming together of the two leagues and about both the synergy and
energy that will result from having our men and women compete under
the same name," Slaats said. "I am also honored and humbled to have
the new league playoff championship bear my name. It's hard to
believe how quickly, and how much, women's hockey has grown since
the initial formation of a women's division in the spring of 2000.
I honestly could not be happier or more proud of the outcome."

Both the women and men will
maintain their automatic qualifier status and continue to play for
a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

"Those of us at Concordia
University Wisconsin are very excited to be a part of the new
direction and strategic vision for our hockey conference," MCHA
DASC Chair Rob Barnhill said. "The level of competition in our new
conference will be rigorous and the student-athlete experience will
be greatly enhanced by participating with student-athletes from
like-minded and like-missioned institutions."

The "Men's NCHA" will consist of
the following 10 members: Adrian College, Concordia University
Wisconsin, Finlandia University, Lake Forest College, Lawrence
University, Marian University, Milwaukee School of Engineering,
Northland College, St. Norbert College and The College of St.
Scholastica.

The "Women's NCHA" will consist of
the following seven members: Adrian College, Concordia University
Wisconsin, Finlandia University, Lake Forest College, Marian
University, St. Norbert College and The College of St.
Scholastica.

The league will also welcome a new
logo and a new website. Immediate changes will be seen starting
today on the league website (which will operate under the
www.nchahockey.org site only moving forward), with updating and
archiving changes happening into the summer.

League staff will have a familiar
look, while also welcoming a new face to the mix. Dr. G. Steven
Larson, the current MCHA commissioner, will serve in the same
capacity for both the "Men's NCHA" and the "Women's NCHA". Jim
Olson, the former MCHA Supervisor of Officials, will continue in
his role for both sides of the conference.

Chris Zills and Brian Monahan, who
previously worked behind the scenes for the MCHA and NCHA to
publicize their respective leagues, will be moving into similar,
but different roles moving forward for the "new" NCHA. Monahan will
serve in the role of Director of Public Relations, taking an active
role in promoting, social media, blogging and other "faces" of the
media. Zills will be the Director of Sports Information,
maintaining the behind-the-scenes aspect of the communications
department.